If you’re planning a trip away, you might be surprised to know that a vacation away can actually help you improve your professional skills. Travel comes with unique situations and these new experiences will help you develop yourself.
You can take the valuable skills that you gained during your adventure and bring them with you into the workplace. Not to mention the fact that you will be a standout candidate during a job interview as you share the amazing adventure you had during college.
Grow your career skills through travel in college!
- Learn effective time management skills
A great trip involves careful time management. This is because you want to maximise every single hour you have on vacation. This might involve trying to see an entire city in a day, catching a flight or traveling to different countries in one year. Just like you will have to organise time spent in a job, you will need to create smart goals, to-do lists and carefully consider how to spend your time when you travel.
Every job requires efficient time management. This involves being smart about your time and also getting projects done to deadline. It also includes how you organise time outside of the workplace.
- Build teamwork and leadership skills
As you travel around, you will need to make plans and agree on common goals with your travel companions. This will involve clear and effective communication with everyone in your group. These kind of experiences are the perfect scenario to share with prospective employers and help you get the job of your dreams.
Employers want to hire people who can work cooperatively with others and also contribute to a group planning situation. It is common to be asked about teamwork skills during an interview. This will usually involve being asked for an example of when you worked closely with others.
- Become an expert communicator
The most coveted skills for any job seeker is excellent communication and social skills. Employers want candidates who can relate to others, negotiate and work with people from diverse backgrounds. Communication is the foundation to any successful career and if you are a strong communicator you will go far.
As you travel, you will experience language barriers, different social norms and cultures. Immersing yourself in these different cultures and broadening your communication skills will really help grow you for the professional world. Get out and interact with people from all over the world – this will make you a stronger listener and communicator in the workplace.
Plan your trip today!
Start planning your adventure away and discover somewhere new in between classes. You will find that the benefits of travel are endless – with valuable learnings for your first career.
Amy Pritchett is a travel blogger who write about outdoor adventures and traveling the world (wegoplaces.me). She encourages all college students to take an adventure away to grow and develop themselves both personally and professionally.
